


but i don't want to be just friends

by youngowl



Category: Legacies (TV 2018)
Genre: F/F, Fluff, Hosie, Humor, LITERALLY, Mild Hurt/Comfort, Mild Language, Recreational Drug Use, Tropes, Wisdom Teeth, but what's new, gets a little heated, high!josie has no filter, hope runs away from her feelings, lizzie is a closeted nerd, mizzie if you squint
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-06-11
Updated: 2020-06-11
Packaged: 2021-03-04 05:54:12
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 2
Words: 7,991
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/24658672
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/youngowl/pseuds/youngowl
Summary: Hope can’t imagine why on earth they went through the normal process of going to a doctor and using anesthetics when they have literal magic at their disposal, but she wasn’t in the mood to argue that day. She picked up MG on the way to the hospital because there was no way she was dealing with two high witches on her own.aka The twins get their wisdom teeth removed, and Hope takes care of a drugged up Josie.Takes place after the Mystic Falls Pageant, but before the season finale
Relationships: Hope Mikaelson/Josie Saltzman
Comments: 24
Kudos: 410





	1. these pillows are really comfy

**Author's Note:**

> Finals killed me, so here's me writing something for fun. It made me laugh, so I hope you guys enjoy :)

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> When Hope was told to take care of the twins, she did not expect Josie to talk so much. Apparently she had a lot of thoughts. Specifically about Hope.

Hope walked into the hospital, praying that no one sees the blood and scorch marks on her sweater.

Who knew chimeras were that feisty?

The monster was simple to kill, it just put up a really good fight. It took her and Dr. Saltzman a good hour or two to finally corner the damn beast. During the fight, Hope wounded one of its legs, spurting blood all over her outfit. After almost being barbecued (because  _ of course _ it could breathe fire), Hope managed to stick some lead in its mouth, courtesy of Dorian and his research. When it tried to singe her eyebrows off for the millionth time, the lead melted into lava, burning up the monster from the inside.

They ended up somewhere on the edge of town, and some locals witnessed the end of the fight when Hope wrestled with the weird lion-goat hybrid. Dr. Saltzman had to stay behind with Kaleb to deal with them.

Unfortunately, that left Hope with the task to pick up the twins from the hospital. 

The past week, Lizzie has been complaining non-stop about her mouth hurting. Hope suggested she try not talking for once, which only got her a glare from the blonde siphon witch and a disappointed look from Alaric.

Apparently, Lizzie wasn’t lying because Josie started to feel the pain, as well. A quick check-up revealed that the twins were due to get their wisdom teeth removed. It made sense that no one thought of it before, the twins just turned sixteen. Most people don’t need their wisdom teeth removed for a few more years. 

Hope can’t imagine why on earth they went through the normal process of going to a hospital and using anesthetics when they have literal magic at their disposal, but she wasn’t in the mood to argue that day.

She picked up MG on the way because there was no way she was dealing with two high witches on her own. The illusion spell she casted on themselves made them look like Dr. Saltzman and Mrs. Forbes-Salvatore, since they were the only two people allowed to sign out the girls from the hospital. With luck, the spell also covered the fact that she looked like a serial murderer who got caught in a fire.

“Hi, we’re here to pick up Josette and Elizabeth Saltzman. Our daughters. I’m their father, Alaric. And this is their mother, Caroline.” MG said to the nurse, awkwardly wrapping an arm around Hope. 

She wanted to roll her eyes, but she held back and gave a strained smile to the woman behind the desk. 

“Dr. Hart just finished with them a couple minutes ago, they should be out soon. Feel free to take a seat while waiting.”

Hope thanked the woman before MG could say anything and dragged him to the uncomfortable waiting room seats. 

She spoke under her breath, “You really need to work on your lying.” 

“Sorry. It’s just not how I roll,” he shrugged, before pouting. “I wasn’t  _ that _ bad, right?”

Letting silence be her answer, they sat down. Hope immediately leaned back, her body aching from the fight. 

She closed her eyes, appreciating the moments of peace, which come rarely with their current Malivore issue. 

“So what was the chimera like?”

“MG. Not now.”

Clothes shuffled and she heard him slouch in his chair. Hope sighed and opened her eyes.

“Sorry. I’m just on edge with all the monsters, and Landon being off on his own.” She turned to MG. 

He nodded in understanding, looking hesitant when he asked, “Are you two still a thing?”

She shook her head. “No, that was just a small crush that went nowhere. We both still care about each other, just not in that way. It was mutual. It’s just, he left because I was keeping a big secret from him.” 

A pause lulled in the conversation, neither of them knowing what to say.

“The chimera was actually pretty cool. You know, when it wasn’t trying to set me on fire.”

His eyes widened, drifting to the burnt marks on her top. “That explains that, at least.” He looked around them, noting the few other people waiting. Leaning in, he asked in a hushed voice, “Did it really have a snake as a tail?”

At her nod, he smiled excitedly, proceeding to ask more questions about the monster and the fight. She answered everything with a small smile of her own. She admired how MG found enjoyment in everything in life, and his constant positivity never failed to cheer her up. 

On his twentieth question, two nurses entered the waiting room, pushing two familiar twins in their own wheelchairs. Hope got up and signed the forms, having perfected Alaric’s signature a long time ago. 

“Dad! Lizzie, that’s mom and dad!” Josie’s face brightened when she saw the pair waiting. Her words came out a little muffled due to the gauze in her mouth. “Maya, that’s my mom and dad!”

The nurse, whose name was Megan, nodded with a smile.

“Mom?!” Lizzie tried to get up, failing, and got gently pushed back down by the other nurse. 

“Hi, sweetie.” Hope said, doing her best impression of Caroline. 

Lizzie’s face scrunched up. “Why do you sound like Hope?”

“Why don’t we get you girls to the car, okay? Let’s get back to the school so you two can rest.” MG cut in. Lizzie turned to him with narrowed eyes. Her mouth opened with another retort, only for her to hold her jaw as she moaned in pain. 

Both Hope and MG walked with the nurses to the school car that Alaric let Hope drive. They managed to transfer the twins into the backseat without too much of a fuss.

“Mary, my parents are so cool.” 

The nurse, whose name was still Megan, laughed and agreed with her.

After a quick speech from the nurses on what the girls should and shouldn’t do for the next week or so, Hope got into the driver’s seat and took the glamour spell off her and MG. He buckled into the passenger seat as she pulled out of the parking lot.

“I knew it!” Lizzie yelled when Hope released the spell, followed immediately by a moan, “Ow.” 

Hope didn’t bother hiding her smile at that, ignoring the glaring eyes of the blonde. MG put on some chill music from his playlist, before turning around and entertaining the twins. He had his phone out, recording the girls’ actions to send to Dr. Saltzman later. 

Lizzie continued yelling for a solid minute, the usual complaints about Hope taking their lives from them. Josie was poking at her gums, to which MG quickly scolded her for. 

Josie proceeded to take the gauze out of her mouth, dangling the bloody cotton fabric near the open window. MG frantically closed the window from his seat, persuading Josie to put it back in her mouth.

At some point, for some reason, Lizzie started arguing that Gollum murdered Frodo’s parents, while Josie started mumbling song lyrics with no coherent sense of rhythm. Lizzie soon fell asleep after her passionate rant, leaving the car to be filled with soft pop as they navigated through the town. 

“-can’t sleep. Please.”

MG turned the music down at the sound of Josie’s voice. 

Hope glanced in the rearview mirror. “Josie? I thought you were asleep.”

“Can’t. It hurts too much.” 

MG chuckled at how petulant Josie sounded. She was usually the more mature twin, so it amused him to see and hear the girl acting more childish. Hope only heard the pain behind the words, and she frowned.

“I told Dr. Saltzman the pain meds wouldn’t work. I know a spell that might help, if you want?”

She saw movement in the mirror, and it looked like Josie was nodding. When they got to a red light, Hope blindly held a hand out behind her. 

“Here, we have to be touching for it to work.” She felt Josie grasp her hand, and Hope mumbled the chant quickly, barely finishing when the light turned green. 

She heard Josie sigh in relief, and Hope got both hands back on the wheel with a smile.

  
  
  


When they got back to the school, Hope and MG led the twins back to their room. Thankfully, it was late on a school night, so they didn’t have to worry about hiding the drugged girls from other students. 

Trusting MG, Hope left him in charge while she freshened up, finally getting out of the ruined sweater and jeans. She was definitely making Dr. Saltzman pay for some new clothes. 

The warm water washed away all the blood and dirt, soothing the cuts and bruises she got from the monster. She watched as her wounds healed themselves, still in awe of her own powers. 

Exiting the shower, Hope wrapped a towel around herself and went to grab some sweats from her drawers. She paused in confusion when she heard loud knocking on her door. Not a lot of people in the school visited the tribrid, not to mention it was nearing midnight. 

“Who is it?”

“Meee!” 

Her brows knit together. “Josie!?” 

Hope quickly got dressed. She opened the door while drying her hair, still not believing it when Josie smiled at her from the hallway. The gauze in her mouth was distinctly less red than before, indicating that someone changed it out for her, presumably MG. 

Speaking of him, Hope asked, “Jo, why aren’t you in your room? Where’s MG?”

The bright smile quickly dropped. “Does that mean you don’t want me here?” 

“No, I didn’t say that.” Hope’s expression immediately went soft at the sight of Josie’s signature pout. 

Her ears picked up footsteps from around the corner. Hope quickly debated taking Josie back to her room and simply explaining the situation to the hall monitor. 

Then, she caught a whiff of familiar perfume and silently cursed. Alyssa Chang was in charge tonight, and there was no way she would miss an opportunity to hold something over a Saltzman twin. Hope respected Josie too much to let her embarrass herself, so she quickly pulled the witch inside and closed the door. She could sneak Josie back into her room once the coast is clear.

Hope put her ear to the crack, listening as the clacking heels passed her room without incident. 

“Ooo! Pretty.”

Josie was currently tracing a finger on one of Hope’s paintings, outlining the details of the unfinished portrait.

She turned to Hope with a toothy grin. “That’s me!”

Hope hesitantly walked over next to her, looking at the canvas. “Yeah.”

No one at school has really seen her artwork, and Hope had the urge to cover it up as quickly as possible. However, seeing Josie in this state, she figured the girl probably wouldn’t remember, easing her nerves a little.

The painting was of both Josie and Lizzie, hugging and smiling as if they were posing for a photoshoot. They were wearing their outfits from the day the three of them killed the arachnid together: Lizzie with her overalls, and Josie with her skirt and long sleeve top. 

Color filled only some parts of the page. Their faces were mostly done, making the twins’ smiles come to life. Josie’s chocolate brown eyes glimmered, the light reflecting in her irises and making her expression all the brighter.

(It had taken Hope a good hour of blending reds and yellows and the smallest bit of black to get just the right shade of Josie’s eyes.)

While Hope was in no means friends with Lizzie, the two of them have gotten closer this year, and she did help Hope when her magic got a little out of control. As for Josie, they’ve been slowly carving out their friendship ever since Hope asked for her help to do dark magic, which felt like so long ago. 

This specific painting was started after the Mystic Falls Pageant, Hope brewing with her emotions all over the place and still wearing the dress her dad picked out. She let her mind wander and found herself sketching out Josie. She figured this could be the twins’ birthday present for next year, so she added Lizzie, grateful for her help throughout the pageant.

“I didn’t know you could paint. You made me look pretty.”

Hope chuckled. “Well, you made it easy for me.” She took her hand and led her to her bed, not wanting to stare at her artwork any longer. Josie immediately flopped on her back, stretching out. She was wearing a matching silk set of pajamas, and the top rose a little, exposing a line of tan skin.

Sitting next to her, Hope said, “So what were you doing roaming the halls alone?” She gently pulled Josie back up to a sitting position, mildly worried that the girl would end up choking on her own spit.

“I was hungry. These pillows are really comfy.”

Random comment aside, Hope asked, “MG let you go to the kitchen by yourself?”

Josie smiled proudly. “Nope! But Lizzie started complaining and he went to get an ice pack for her, so I snuck out.” Her eyes widened, and she leaned in with a hushed voice. “Don’t tell Hope. She’ll be mad at MG.”

Hope blinked. She could yell at MG later. Right now, Josie was her main priority.

“Josie,  _ I’m _ Hope.”

The siphoner’s eyes widened with happiness. “Hope!” She brought her into a tight hug.

They pulled back, Hope laughing at how carefree Josie was acting. She always seemed to have the weight of everyone’s problems on her shoulders. It was nice to see the girl express herself so openly. 

Josie stared at the tribrid in awe.

“You’re really pretty. Gorgeous. Beautiful. And you don't even try!” Josie’s exaggerated facial expressions made Hope chuckle, breaking her dumbfounded silence at the random compliment. “We also agreed to stop poking, so I think we’re friends now? I hope so.”

Josie giggled. “Get it? I  _ hope _ I’m friends with Hope.”

Hope nodded with a smile. “I’d like to think we’re friends, too.”

“But I don’t want to be just friends.” Josie whined, looking away and biting her lip. “Whenever I siphon from you, it  _ feels _ different. I thought maybe it was because you’re this all powerful tribrid, but I asked Lizzie, and she said it felt different, but not in the same way, you know? She could feel your magic, which is such a power rush, by the way. But she didn’t feel hot where your hands touched. It didn’t burn, she didn’t feel her body get consumed with…  _ Hope Mikaelson _ .”

That was something Hope never really thought about. She knew she was powerful, but she didn’t know that others would be able to sense her power in that way. She made a mental note to ask about that another day, when Josie wasn’t inebriated with drugs. As for what Josie was saying about her  _ feelings _ , well. Hope filed that away for later, ignoring the way she stopped breathing when Josie’s hand fell to her knee.

“Did I tell you you’re really pretty? Like, really pretty. Your eyes are so blue, and when you’re mad they get dark, almost black. When you laugh, they’re like the sky.” Josie looked up in awe, as if the ceiling wasn’t obstructing their view of the sky. Hope chose not to mention that it was also the middle of the night, so the sky wasn’t even blue at this time.

A good friend would stop her, right? It’s clear that Josie would never say any of this on a normal day. But then again, if it’s how she really feels, Hope believed she had a right to know. Her conscious debated the morality of the situation while Josie continued rambling.

“And you’re in really good shape. Sometimes, I watch you train in the morning. You have a really nice butt. And you do this thing where you lift your shirt to wipe off your sweat, and your abs, I swear, were sculpted by the gods. Don’t get me started on your boobs-”

“Okay!” Hope’s face flushed, her cheeks getting hot. She didn’t even realize she had that habit of lifting her shirt while working out. “Why don’t we get you back to your room? Lizzie is probably wondering where you are.”

Before Josie could protest, Hope pulled her up from her bed. They left Hope’s room, Hope putting a silencing charm around them because Josie would not keep quiet. Hope made it so only they could hear each other, just in case Josie needed something. Thankfully, she stopped talking about the tribrid, opting to sing a song, this time with considerably better rhythm.

“ _ My heart has a little crush on you-u… _ ”

Hope pulled her back into a nook, spotting Alyssa as she made her last rounds. 

“ _ So immature but these butterflies _ \- ooo! Food!”

Josie dashed into the kitchen, grabbing snacks from the cabinets, as well as a pint of ice cream. 

“ _ My heart wrote a little song for you-u… _ ”

With her arms full, Hope knocked on the door with her head, just loud enough to be heard.

“ _ So won’t you take a listen and dance with me to the rhythm _ !”

MG opened the door. Without a word, he ushered them inside, closing the door and making sure no one saw them come in. He blinked at the pile of snacks in Hope’s arms, teetering dangerously. 

Hope unceremoniously dropped everything onto Lizzie’s bed, right on top of the sleeping girl, and took the silencing spell off Josie.

“- _ might love you! _ ”

“Josie! You sound great, sweetie, but Lizzie’s trying to sleep.”

At Hope’s words, Josie nodded with wide eyes, looking exactly like an excited puppy.

MG looked on in bafflement as the girl dug into the cookie dough ice cream. “How is she not in pain?” 

“I guess the spell I did in the car must last longer than I thought.” Hope shrugged. She gave MG a look. “I remember asking you to look after them while I took a shower.”

“Hey, in my defense, Lizzie needed something and I can’t give her the same no-pain spell that you gave Josie.”

After a brief moment of silence, just to let MG sweat a little, she sighed. “I get it. Dragging Josie back here took all of my focus, I’m sorry I left you in charge of two of them.”

“It’s all good. Still, I should’ve been a better friend and never let either of them out of my sight.”

She bumped her shoulder with his, sharing a small smile, agreeing that both of them could’ve done better.

“Owww.” 

They turned to see Josie with her hand cupping her jaw, her face twisting in discomfort.

Hope chuckled. “Guess the spell is wearing off.”

The pain took over whatever sugar rush Josie was experiencing, allowing Hope to actually get the girl in bed. While she argued that she couldn’t keep Josie under the spell forever, MG silently cleaned up all the snacks that were on top of Lizzie. 

Twenty minutes later, with both twins sleeping peacefully, their caretakers slumped in the desk chairs, a knock was heard on the door.

“Girls? Are you two doing okay?”

Hope tilted her head back in relief. “Finally.”

She opened the door, speaking before Dr. Saltzman could get a word out. “They’re both fine. There’s a packet on Josie’s desk from the hospital listing all the foods they’re not allowed to eat for a week. You’re taking the night shift to make sure they don’t bleed out on their pillows. Oh, and you owe me a new sweater. And jeans.”

“Oh. Okay.” He shook his head, rubbing at his tired eyes. “I’ll let you use my credit card this weekend, you and the girls can go shopping.”

She perked up. “Thank you, Dr. Saltzman. Now, if you’ll excuse us, we’re gonna go to bed. No offense, but your daughters are a lot of work.”

He snorted. “Trust me. I know. And don’t worry about the hall monitors, I told them you guys would be heading back to your rooms.”

She nodded, going out into the hallway with MG right behind her.

“Hope. MG.”

They turned around. Alaric gave them a grateful smile. “Thank you.”

“Of course, Dr. Saltzman.”

“No problem, Dr. S.”

  
  
  


Despite her desire to go to bed, once she was laying down, Hope just found herself staring up at the ceiling. Sleep refused to take her as her mind went into overdrive, analyzing everything that Josie said, dissecting every word, every action.

Josie made it pretty obvious, right? She liked Hope. Not just as a friend. She like-liked Hope.

Hope groaned, turned over and stuffed her face into her pillow. Her thoughts were so juvenile and naive. Yet the thought of Josie liking her in that way made her heart beat a little faster.

She never told Josie this, but Hope had a crush on the other girl at one point. She was fourteen, and it was a few months before her life fell apart with Roman and her parents. Lining that up with what Josie told her during spring break, she was pretty sure they were crushing on each other at the same time.

But that was a long time ago.

Sighing, she figured she definitely wasn’t sleeping tonight. She threw her covers off, padding across the room and sitting down in front of her easel. 

While wolfing out was a great outlet for Hope to relieve stress and run away from her feelings, painting was always a way for her to organize her thoughts. It allowed her to compartmentalize her feelings, lose herself in the comforting motions of dragging the brush back and forth.

~

The next morning, Hope was sitting in the cafeteria, massaging the stiffness in her neck. 

She had ended up falling asleep at her desk, her exhaustion from the day barely getting her across her room, nevermind her actual bed.

MG was next to her, going on about one of their classes. She paid enough attention to nod at the right parts, though her eyelids felt extremely heavy.

The fog of no sleep lifted when she saw Josie enter the room, accompanied by Lizzie, as always. They were wearing their typical fashionable school uniform, as if they didn’t spend half of yesterday high on ketamine.

As they made their way over, Hope caught Josie’s eyes and gave a small wave. Josie smiled back, and Hope’s heart jumped in her throat.

“Hello ladies! Looking a lot better than last night, I see.” 

Lizzie glared at MG for his comment. The girls joined the group, Josie ending up right across from Hope. 

“Emma gave us this special potion that, I swear, is straight from the heavens.” Lizzie said in response, stealing fries off MG’s plate. 

He frowned, but raised his hands in surrender at her raised eyebrow. “Should you be eating that right now?” 

She paused, before begrudgingly giving him his fries back. No matter how bad her craving was, she’d rather not get a dry socket, leading to possible infections.

“We can still feel the pain, but it’s more of an annoying pressure rather than full agony.” Josie elaborated.

Hope spoke up, giving both of the twins a genuine smile. “That’s great. I’m glad you’re both feeling better.” 

Josie looked at her, and for a split second, Hope swore the girl’s eyes flashed with remembrance. It happened too quickly for her to trust herself. She was running on low sleep, after all. 

Lizzie looked between Hope and MG. “Daddy said you two picked us up from the hospital.” She shrugged, “Thanks, I guess. For making sure we didn’t bleed out from our gums.”

“Lizzie.” Josie chastised her sister. She turned to the two of them with a grateful expression. “Thank you guys, really.”

MG smiled wide while Hope simply stared back at the girl, still wondering if she remembered anything. 

“Oh!” MG’s eyes widened as he pulled out his phone. He smiled with his tongue between his teeth and wagged his eyebrows. “Wanna see the videos?”

“Videos!?” Lizzie shrieked in indignance, gathering a few curious glances from other tables. Meanwhile, a cute blush spread over Josie’s face.

Josie’s eyes quickly flitted to Hope before going back to MG, and Hope was sure her eyes weren’t playing tricks on her.

A toothy grin on his face, MG held up the phone for the four of them to watch. The scene from the car played out, with Lizzie rambling about her Lord of the Rings conspiracy theories, Josie making exaggerated facial expressions, and MG’s bright laughter heard in the background.

It was followed by a video that MG probably took after Hope went to shower. He set up the camera on one of the desks, recording as he frantically ran around, trying to make sure both of them were comfortable, trying to ease their pain in any way he could. Star Wars was Lizzie’s new topic of interest, bashing its storytelling and characters. At some point, Josie went up to the camera and waved with a goofy smile, her shirt half-off and a spoon full of ice cream in her mouth. 

Hope watched in interest, laughing at the twins’ antics on the screen, as well as their reactions to themselves, both of their faces reddening. After all the clips played out, MG brought up Lizzie’s extensive knowledge of certain topics, sparking an impassioned argument between the two.

“I’m just saying, you know a lot about things that you claim are ‘nerdy’.”

“Do  _ not _ associate me with that word. I just happen to enjoy good books and cinema.”

Shaking her head at Lizzie’s poor defense, Hope turned and noticed Josie being silent. Her face was still flushed, and Josie looked up when Hope asked her what’s wrong.

“I was acting really silly yesterday.” She scrunched her nose.

Hope eyed the way Josie fiddled with her hands. Then, cautiously, “Yeah, you said some funny things.”

Josie grimaced, pulling her hair back behind her ear. “If I said anything embarrassing, just ignore it.” Nervous chuckle. “I wasn’t myself, I can’t imagine what insane things my mind came up with.”

At her words, Hope looked away, blinking fast as the feeling of rejection overcame her. She scolded herself, it’s not like she confessed that she had feelings for Josie.

Her body froze.

Oh.

She had feelings for Josie.

“Hope?”

Standing abruptly, Hope avoided eye contact and murmured, “I gotta go.” 

Her vision blurred as she left the cafeteria, quickly exiting the school doors, as well.

  
  
  
  


Sending a quick text to Dr. Saltzman, Hope was almost at the Old Mill, everything overwhelming her. A nice run will do the trick. Besides, she was ahead in all her classes, anyway.

She got there in moments, shedding her top and struggling to get her bra off as breathing became difficult. While she did have an emergency set of clothes hidden away, she’d rather not ruin another outfit. The damn bra finally unhooked, and her fingers moved to take off her skirt.

“Hope!”

The tribrid yelped, pulling up her skirt and holding up her blouse to cover her chest as Josie came into view.

“What the hell, Josie!?”

Josie stopped in her tracks, her words caught in her throat as her eyes traced Hope’s figure. The witch sputtered, unconsciously licking her lips, her pupils dilating ever so slightly. 

“… Can you turn around?”

Her eyes widened when she realized she was ogling her friend. They immediately went up, catching a glimpse of Hope’s golden irises. Josie spun around, accompanied with a meep “Sorry!” 

Hope weighed her options. She could explain why she ran out of the cafeteria and confront Josie on her discovered feelings. Or she could avoid this conversation and hope for the best.

The sound of clothes dropping to the ground did not help Josie’s blush. “What are you doing?”

“Going for a run.”

“But we have classes-”

“I already told your dad I was skipping.”

“O-kay. But before you go, I wanted to-”

Josie paused when she heard bones cracking. Once she was sure the process was over, she turned around with a sigh. Her eyesight lowered to the white wolf in front of her.

“-see if we could talk.”

Hope tilted her head. She’s never really interacted with anyone in wolf form. The only people who have seen her like this were her dad, Landon, and Dr. Saltzman. Her father was there for her first transition, giving her a mantra to repeat every time she shifted. Both Landon and Dr. Saltzman saw her by accident.

It was something private, rare. Not a lot of werewolves are comfortable with people seeing them like that, typically because most wolves can’t control themselves on the full moon. Yet, Hope didn’t hesitate to show Josie this part of herself.

Josie took a step forward, and Hope’s instincts told her to step back, teeth bared with a low growl. 

The growling stopped. Hope moved forward cautiously, and Josie stayed as still as possible, not making anymore sudden movements. Hope could see the underlying fear in the siphoner’s eyes, and she whimpered.

“You’re beautiful.” Josie slowly ran her fingers through the fur. Her dad never let her go down to the werewolf transition spaces during the full moon.

Hope licked her face.

“Oh! Okay.” She grimaced. “Your breath stinks.”

Josie chuckled, Hope managing to look offended as a wolf. 

She gestured to the woods. “Go. Enjoy your run. I can’t stay, I already have a lot of work to catch up on.”

Josie stood up with a smile, and Hope nudged her when the petting stopped. Josie gave the wolf a stern look. “But we’re having a conversation later today.” 

Whining, Hope nudged at her hand, again. When Josie pulled back with a chuckle, she turned around, walking off into the trees. 

“You can’t just turn into a wolf when you don’t want to talk!” Josie called out to the retreating figure.

The wolf looked back, and Josie didn’t know it was possible for an animal to look like it was smirking. She could see the parallels, easily seeing Hope’s face with the same expression, one raised eyebrow taunting her. 

Hope saw Josie’s brows stitch together in thought. As a wolf, her emotions were amplified. The feeling of Josie looking at her in such deep thought made her stomach twist, her feelings buzzing inside of her. This was why she needed to run. She turned around, trotting away, soon turning into a full sprint.

Josie sighed. She looked around, noticing Hope’s clothes in a messy pile. Without much thought, she neatly folded the clothes, and placed them on top of one of the shelves in the Old Mill. 

As she walked back to the school, a howl rang through the air. 

  
  



	2. did i say anything embarrassing last night?

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Josie has no idea what happened last night, and she's kind of freaking out.

Lizzie gagged, spitting out the salt water. “This is  _ disgusting _ .”

“I know, honey, but it keeps your mouth from developing an infection.” Alaric said from their bedroom. The girls were in the bathroom, the door left ajar just in case they needed their dad. “And the doctor specifically said to not spit it out, let it fall from your mouth.”

“That’s even more gross.”

Josie sighed. “Lizzie, it’s not that bad. Here, let me hold your hair back.” 

Having woken up earlier, Josie already rinsed her mouth. She was quick to follow all the directions in the packet, desperate to have something to focus on. Her memories of the night before were distorted, and not knowing exactly what happened made her extremely nervous.

Bits and pieces were coming back, some vague, some clear as day. Being wheeled out of the hospital. The car ride. Ice cream. Blue eyes.

After Lizzie finally did it right, they left the bathroom. Josie gave their dad a reassuring smile. 

“Okay, I want you girls to see Emma before breakfast. Are you sure you’re okay to go to your classes?”

“And wallow in self pity the whole day? Absolutely not.” 

Josie rolled her eyes at her sister’s dramatics. “We’ll be fine, dad.”

He nodded, giving them each a quick kiss on the head. “Just let me know if you need anything. I love you.”

“Love you, too.” They both said back.

Alaric gave one last nod, as if convincing himself that they were really okay. He went to leave, when Josie called out, “Wait.”

She faltered, surprising herself, not planning on saying anything. But she had to ask. 

“Was Hope with us last night?” 

His brows rose slightly as he remembered something. “Yeah, actually. We got caught up with a monster, so Kaleb and I had to stay in town for a little while. MG and Hope took you home and took care of you two before I got back.”

Josie felt a quick flash of hurt through her twin bond. Lizzie felt neglected, understandably so. Their dad put other things above his own daughters, again. 

She understood where Lizzie was coming from. 

As for Josie, panic ran through her veins.

Their dad left, closing the door behind him. Lizzie plopped onto her bed with a huff, before lifting her head in confusion. 

“Why are there Cheetohs on my bed?”

~

Josie sighed at her desk.

Don’t get her wrong, Mrs. Featherwood was a great teacher. But Josie couldn’t focus in any of her classes, a certain tribrid inhabiting all corners of her mind.

Hope was acting weird at breakfast. She left abruptly because Josie had to open her dumb mouth. Before that, she kept stealing glances at Josie, though maybe it was because Josie kept looking at her. 

She couldn’t help it. 

Another small scene from last night popped in her brain. It was of Hope, laughing freely with her eyes crinkled in the corners. 

It replayed in her mind, like an old disc player stuck on repeat. 

“Josie!”

She blinked, looking around at her surroundings. She was in her bedroom. Huh, she must’ve really zoned out in all of her classes.

Lizzie looked at her, unimpressed. “You have your crush face on.”

Josie stammered. “What?” 

Her sister rolled her eyes, sitting next to Josie on her bed. She leaned in, staring intensely at her face.

“Lizzie, what are you-”

“Yup. You have that glazed over look in your eyes. You’d always get that way when you were daydreaming about Satan.” Lizzie pulled back, narrowing her eyes. “Don’t tell me you still have feelings for her? She left you. To go to Belgium, of all places! Their waffles aren’t even that good.”

“You love Belgian waffles.”

“Not the point.”

Josie pursed her lips. “I don’t have feelings for Penelope.”

At Lizzie’s knowing look, Josie sighed. “Okay, yes. She was my first real relationship, of course I still care for her. But I promise you, I’m not hung up on her anymore.”

Lizzie’s expression brightened. “You have a new crush?”

“… Kinda?”

It wasn’t exactly a  _ new _ crush. More like one that has always stayed hidden in her subconscious, ever since she was twelve. 

“Girl or boy? Vampire, werewolf, or witch?”

“Girl.” 

She purposefully didn’t answer the last question. Lizzie narrowed her eyes. 

“Why aren’t you telling me who it is?” Lizzie asked, suspicious. She bit her lip in thought, then her face smoothed out when she remembered something. “Josie, is this like the Hope thing?”

Josie’s mouth dropped in an ‘o’. She closed it quickly and nodded. What? How did Lizzie guess-

“I promise you, that this crush will stay yours. I won’t go after them.” 

Oh. She was just referencing the situation, not Hope specifically.

“If you really don’t want to spill your heart out, sister dearest, I will allow you this secret to stay your own. But if I start coming onto your mystery girl, tell me, and I’ll back off. Okay?”

A small chuckle left her. Without thinking, she said, “Trust me, Lizzie. You won’t go after her.”

Silence. Then, “Oh. My. God.” 

Josie cringed, waiting for the blow up.

“This is  _ exactly _ ‘like the Hope thing’. You like Hope!”

“You don’t have to yell.” Josie mumbled, knowing that vampire hearing can pick up a lot.

“Don’t worry, I spelled our room to be soundproof.”

“What? When?”

Lizzie gave an annoyed sigh. “Okay, Hope was the one who did it. She caught me in a bad mood while we were still fighting, and thought that it’d be a good idea so I can just scream in here.”

Josie hummed in thought. She didn’t realize that her sister and Hope were becoming friends. The two of them have come a long way in the past few months.

“I give you my blessing.”

Huh. Josie paused. The sentiment was there. Lizzie always told her she never approved of her relationship with Penelope, so it was nice to hear her say this. However, it wasn’t really necessary.

“Thank you. But I’m not going to do anything about it. I’m pretty sure I blew my chances with her.”

She explained her small conversation with Hope from breakfast, as well as running into her wolf form. She left out the part where she accidentally saw Hope half naked.

“You’re telling me while MG accused me of being a geeky little nerd, you were out petting the she-wolf?” Lizzie pouted. “Not fair, I wanna pet a wolf.”

“I’ll be sure to let her know, if she’ll talk to me.”

Lizzie rolled her eyes. “Why are you so sure you ruined your friendship?”

Josie bit her lip, the image of Hope’s hurt face ingrained in her mind. “She looked hurt when I brought it up last night. And then she basically stormed out of the school to wolf out, which you know she only does when she can’t handle her emotions.”

Lizzie shook her head, making her way across the room with a determined look in her eye. “Alright. up. Put on your good pair of pajamas.” Pause. “Might as well a matching set of underwear, too. If it goes really well.”

Josie stood up, watching as her sister rummaged through her closet. “I’m sorry, what?”

“You’re going to talk to Hope, like the mature women you two are. Stop brooding and figure out what actually happened last night. Who knows, maybe you kissed her, and she got offended that it was such a lousy kiss that you didn’t even bother to remember it.”

“Uh, no, I-” Her mind blanked. That was a genuine possibility. She had no idea what happened, she spent the whole day creating different scenarios in her head. Panic roared in her ears, and she barely caught the pair of black lingerie that flew at her. “Lizzie!”

Lizzie pursed her lips. “You’re right. Red is more your color.”

At Josie’s flushed face, Lizzie rolled her eyes with a scoff. “You’ll thank me for this, later.”

~

_ You look like an idiot _ .

She’s been standing in front of Hope’s door for a couple minutes, raising her hand, only to pull it back again.

_ Just knock. What’s the worst that can happen? _

Josie shook her head, hyping herself up for the fourth time. Before she could hesitate, again, her fist hit the wood, making three distinct knocks. 

She immediately regretted it. She turned to leave when the door opened. 

“Josie?” Hope’s voice was lower than usual, having a gravelly tone. 

The siphoner found herself speechless, not for the first time that day. Hope was wearing a simple white t-shirt, slightly see through to the point Josie could see the outline of her black sports bra. It was paired with oversized black sweats, rolled up around her waist, a reminder to Josie just how small the other girl really is.

It was weird seeing her in this candid look. She was always off fighting monsters, arguing with Dr. Saltzman, just generally giving off a bigger than life presence.

Josie felt overdressed in her silk pajamas.

Hope cleared her throat, concern seeping through her features at Josie’s silence. “Is something wrong? Another monster?” 

“No,” Josie shook her head. “Were you sleeping?”

“I mean, it is ten o’clock. Even all powerful tribrids need their beauty sleep.” 

Something stirred within her, familiarity at the word choice. Hope was smiling, as if she just said an inside joke between them. When Josie didn’t react the same way, the smile slowly faded.

Josie took a small step back. “I’m sorry, I’ll let you get your rest.”

“No, wait.” Hope reached out, gently grabbing her wrist. “You obviously have something on your mind. Do you wanna come in and talk?”

Josie’s hand pulled back, Hope’s touch lighting her skin aflame. 

Hope faltered. “Or… I can take you to Emma?”

“No. I just-” Josie exhaled slowly, meeting Hope’s eyes. “Can we talk?”

The shorter girl nodded, opening her door wider as a silent invitation.

Slowly walking in, Josie took in the room while she organized her thoughts. 

She’s been in Hope’s room a couple times, but she never really took the opportunity to really look at the small things that reflected the girl’s personality. The shelves boasted a couple family pictures, as well as many textbooks that were definitely not in the school’s curriculum. A pile of folded laundry sat on her desk chair, ready to be stored away in the closet. What looked like an easel, covered with a tarp, took over a corner of the room, brushes and acrylics sorted neatly. 

_ I didn’t know you could paint. _

Her own voice flitted through her head. Was that a memory? Josie couldn’t tell anymore.

Closing the door, Hope made her way to her bed. She patted the spot next to her, and Josie hesitantly sat down.

“Is everything okay? How’s your mouth doing?”

“Um, it’s fine. It sucks not being able to eat a lot of things, but I’ll survive.” Josie absent mindedly played with her fingers, not knowing how to verbalize what she wanted to know.

Hope noted the nervous tick. “Alright, Josie. What’s up? You seem really worried.”

“Did I say anything embarrassing, last night?” Josie watched for a reaction, frustrated when Hope kept a perfect poker face. “I obviously said something to make you act that way this morning. Did… did I offend you in any way? Insult you?”

_ Did I tell you about my pathetic crush?  _ Josie wanted to ask. Lizzie’s comment rang through her mind.  _ Did I kiss you? _

Hope was quick to shake her head. “No, nothing like that.” 

A playful glint shone in her eyes, and she bit back a smile. “Though you did admit to spying on me while I train in the morning. You also said, and I quote, that I have ‘a really nice butt’.”

Josie’s jaw dropped as her face burned. Dread crept up her throat, knowing that was just the tip of the iceberg.

“If I remember correctly, you also called me pretty, multiple times. Gorgeous, even.”

Her smile broke out, Hope enjoying teasing the siphoner. She chuckled when Josie put her head in her hands and groaned. Josie might have preferred saying something stupid, rather than completely make a fool of herself. Hope quickly sobered up, taking Josie’s hands away from her face, meeting her eye to eye.

“And… you said you wanted to be more than friends.”

Oh. Oh no. Josie closed her eyes in embarrassment. This was when Hope was going to reject her, tell her that it was never going to happen. This was worse than Josie thought. If she simply kissed Hope, at least she could have laughed it off and blamed it on the drugs. But she actually spilled her feelings. She can still find a way out of this, right?

Josie opened her eyes and froze.

Their faces were close. Josie stopped breathing and llicked her lips, Hope’s eyes trailing the action.

“It’s okay, Jo. I know it was just the drugs talking.”

She knew what Hope was doing. Hope was offering Josie an out, a way for them to go back to normal and pretend like nothing happened. This was exactly what she wanted. Josie debated taking the lifeline. If Hope didn’t feel the same way, then it would be better to maintain their friendship.

Then, she felt Hope’s exhale on her lips. Looked into the darkened blue eyes. 

Maybe her feelings weren’t so one-sided.

“What if I meant everything I said?” Josie leaned impossibly closer, her heartbeat loud in her ears. 

Hope’s eyes fluttered shut with a sharp intake of breath.

“Can I kiss you?” Josie whispered, anticipation humming beneath her skin.

The tribrid barely whispered, “Yes,” when she leaned in, brushing their lips together. Once. Twice. Josie pulled back, still hesitant. 

Hope opened her eyes, her pupils blown. “Screw it.” She pulled Josie back in, her fists clutching the pajama shirt tightly, most definitely wrinkling the front.

Josie sighed into the kiss, her hands making their way to the back of Hope’s head, fingers threading through the auburn locks. They matched each other for each push and pull, Hope pulling back teasingly, smirking when Josie chased after her.

She found herself leaning back into the pillows, Hope climbing on top of her. Her knee slotted between Josie’s legs, creating a strangled noise in the siphoner’s throat. They both pulled apart, Josie panting from the lack of oxygen. Hope's mouth made its way down Josie’s neck, and Josie was grateful she chose a low v-neck top. Hope stopped right below her collarbone, deeming it a good spot to start sucking, making the skin dark for all to see. It was the werewolf in her, the possessiveness. Josie let out a moan, her hands clutching the sheets.

Her shirt was loose, dropping off her shoulder, exposing the top of her red lace bra. Josie felt her ego skyrocket as Hope’s expression became filled with desire, just at the sight of the bra. (Thank you, Lizzie.) Hope’s eyes sparked gold, her mouth dropping. She gulped, taking a second for her eyes to return to normal.

Hope went down, outlining the bra with hot kisses. She made her way up the strap, meeting Josie’s lips with a new sense of ferocity.

“Ow, ow, ow!”

She pulled back immediately. “Sorry! Did I hurt you?” Eyes wide with concern, frantically looking over Josie’s face. 

Josie took a moment to appreciate the tribrid, as well as catch her breath. The sight of Hope on top of her, her hair thoroughly messed up, pupils blown wide, lips swollen. 

Wow. She really wanted to kiss her again. 

She almost did, but the annoying toothache stopped her lust-filled thoughts. She waved off Hope’s apology, lifting a hand to her mouth. Her fingers came up with blood. In the midst of their makeout session, the stitches in her mouth came loose.

A trip to the sink later, as well as a quick spell to stop the bleeding, Josie sat back down next to Hope.

“I really am sorry.”

Josie took Hope’s hand in hers. She smiled warmly. “Really, it’s okay. Maybe we should take this a little slower.” She chuckled.

“I’d like that, a lot.” Hope nodded. She winced at the bruise forming on Josie’s neck. “Er, I’m sorry about that, too.”

“Don’t be. I kinda like it.” Josie smirked, stealing a kiss from the stunned girl before leaning back. “We can cuddle, for now?”

“Sounds good to me.”

They both settled in, taking comfort in each other’s arms. Hope nuzzled into Josie’s neck, pulling up the covers around them.

“Your pillows are really comfy.”

Hope chuckled. “So you really did mean everything you said last night.”

Josie smiled with her, not believing that it took getting her wisdom teeth removed to finally tell Hope how she felt. She sent a mental thank you to her drugged up self for having more confidence and being more honest than her normal self.

“You really think my abs were sculpted by the gods?”

She groaned, taking the thank you back. 

Hope laughed, only stopping when Josie shut her up with a kiss.

  
  


**Notes for the Chapter:**

> We love idiots being in love and being forced to confront their feelings after running away.
> 
> We also love a supportive sister relationship!!! 
> 
> Thoughts? Love it? Hate it?
> 
> Thanks for reading!

**Author's Note:**

> I always love including small Alyssa mentions because you're telling me this girl has been terrorizing the twins since she was a child, but she only shows up in season 2? Nuh uh, I'm including her lovable bitchy self in everything, even if it's just a mention.
> 
> Also: let! Hope! be! an artist! Legacies has shown zero (0) scenes of Hope painting. There was a quick blink and you'll miss it scene of a portrait of Landon, presumably painted by Hope. If you haven't seen the Originals, you wouldn't have even known that the girl can paint- really well, may I add.
> 
> Anyways, I stan nerd!Lizzie. And uselessbisexual!Hope.
> 
> Thoughts? Love it? Hate it?
> 
> Thanks for reading!


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